How Students Conceive Function: a Triarchic Conceptual-Semiotic Model of the Understanding of a Complex Concept

Abstract

This study explores conceptions for function amongst 164-second year students of the Department of Education at the University of Cyprus and their relationship with students' abilities in dealing with tasks involving different modes of representations of function. The test that was administered to the students included recognition tasks given in various representations and questions requesting definition and examples of function's applications in real life situations. Results have shown that students' definitions and examples of the notion are closely related to their ability to use different modes of representations of function. These three factors, i.e., definitions given by the students, functions considered by them as examples of application in real life situations, and different representations of functions, seemed to contribute in their own unique way to students' acquisition of this complex concept. Thus, support was provided for the use of a triarchic conceptual-semiotic model of the concept of function, which enables students' thinking and understanding of the notion to be analyzed and described across these three features. ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]; Copyright of Montana Mathematics Enthusiast is the property of Information Age Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)